Lighting up in heritage areas can cost offender RM10,000

No smoking zone: Smokers may face heavy fines if they are caught smoking in the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site.

GEORGE TOWN: Smokers who light up in the 259ha George Town Unesco World Heritage Site from Jan 1 next year could be fined up to RM10,000.

State Health Department director Datuk Dr Zailan Adnan said they could also be jailed up to two years.

“We will begin strict enforcement on Jan 1,” she said, adding that six months of educating smokers about the new policy is a long enough period.

All buildings and public spaces within the heritage site, except residential premises, were gazetted as no-smoking zones from July 4.

The state Health Department subsequently set up the Cigarette Smoke-Free Penang (Penbar) taskforce to advise those found smoking in the heritage zone and to create awareness about the new policy.

Dr Zailan said the taskforce had carried out 60 operations during which they only came across 26 smokers.

She was speaking to reporters after launching the six-month Rapid Penang campaign to promote Pen­bar at the Swettenham Pier here yesterday.

Rapid Penang chief operating officer Mejar (Rtd) Mohd Shukri Abdul Rahman said, for the campaign, the company had allocated two buses – a Central Area Transit (CAT) shuttle bus and an airport bus – with advertisements to encourage people not to smoke.